The deadline for entries for the ICSC’s 2009 Canadian Shopping Centre Awards is June 12, which is only two weeks away. So if you want your shopping center to be recognized, get your entries in as soon as possible.

This year’s theme for the awards is “Think Beyond.” The awards fall under the general categories of Marketing, Development & Design, and Retail Store Design. They’ll be awarded at the Canadian Shopping Centre Awards Gala, to be held at the Metro Convention Centre on September 23, 2009.

To read more about the awards, and to enter, click here.

Viral Marketing: Also known as Word of Mouth Advertising. Any strategy that encourages individuals to pass on a marketing message to others, thus creating the potential for exponential growth in the message’s exposure and influence. Just like viruses, such strategies take advantage of rapid multiplication to explode the message to thousands, even to millions.

We’ve already said plenty about Samsung’s dedication to viral advertising, so we’ll keep this brief. Samsung goes back to viral video roots with a (very cute) film that plays with viewer’s expectations about what’s real – a topic that YouTube users delight in discussing. As always, the ad is already well on its way to viral success after a week.

Summer is making its way to Alberta, and West Edmonton Mall is ready to help shoppers cool off. This weekend, the shopping center is holding Wake Wave, the world’s largest indoor wakeboard festival.

Wakeboarders will be competing for cash prizes in a pro wakeboard rail competition. But spectators can enjoy a lot more than the view. The beach-themed event invites shoppers to enjoy the balmy indoor climate in their beach wear, while taking in live music, a beachfront marketplace, a Coors Light beer garden, and beach activities.

With more shopping centers investing in unique attractions like wave machines and ski hills, we can expect the opportunities for big sponsored competitions to expand well beyond mega-malls like West Edmonton Mall. Will yours be on board?

This week, Broadway On The Mall continues its quest to keep its web presence fresh and interesting. The shopping center has revamped its email newsletter, improving its look and adding a few new fun features.

First up is the “Looks at Broadway” section, which promotes its retailers through brief shopper interviews. Fashionable shoppers are singled out for a few short questions about their favorite brands, and a photo of the look that got them spotted. A bit of consumer engagement never hurt. The newsletter also encourages shoppers to reserve any item featured in it with an email form.

We’ve been seeing better and better centre newsletters arriving in our inboxes every month. Does yours stack up? Share your email newsletter tips in the comments.

St. David’s, Cardiff will be opening later this year, and the shopping center is already well on its way to building some buzz. Earlier this month, it ran a “Golden Ticket” promotion, giving away thousands of chocolate bars with a chance to win a VIP tour of the premises. Now the shopping center is on display again – this time in flowers.

For the Cardiff display at the Royal Horticulture Society’s Chelsea Flower Show, the city chose to feature the St. David’s development, along with some of the city’s other retail attractions. The show is one of the most famous horticultural events in the world, and draws 157,000 visitors each year, including celebrities and royalty. The show provides a great opportunity for Cardiff to market itself to thousands of international visitors, and St. David’s will certainly reap some of the benefit when it opens in October.

Take a look after the jump for a couple more photos of this great display (and a couple familiar faces…) Read more »